Academic Journal of Science and Technology ISSN: 2771-3032 | Vol. 10, No. 3, 2024 5 Research on the Current Situation of Mongolian Horse Racing in Chengde City -- Taking the Autonomous Region of Weichang Minority as an Example Feifei Zhang1, * 1Graduate University of Mongolia, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia *Corresponding author: ZHANG FEIFEI (Email: 493455219@qq.com) Abstract: Chengde City, as a popular tourist destination, the ethnic minorities of the Weichang Autonomous Region is known as the "people on horseback". This paper discusses the development strategy of Mongolian horse racing in Chengde City, in order to understand the development of horse racing and improve the overall level of horse racing. This paper uses the literature method, questionnaire survey on horse racing athletes and coaches to investigate. The study found that there are problems such as weak coaching team, imperfect athlete selection and training mechanism, insufficient venue facilities and unreasonable financial investment and distribution. It is recommended that strengthening the coaching team, improving the athlete selection and training mechanism, improving the venue facilities, and optimizing the investment and distribution of funds are important to promote the healthy development of horse racing. Keywords: Weichang County, Mongolia, Horse Racing, Current Development Situation. 1. Introduction In the Chengde City area in northeastern Hebei Province, the Mongolian people are known for their unique horseback- riding culture, in which horse racing is a long-standing sporting event. As one of the major ethnic minorities in Chengde City, the Mongolian people have a tradition of horseback riding, archery, and sheep herding, and horse racing has become a stage for the Mongolian people to display their courage, intelligence, and team spirit. With the booming tourism industry in Chengde City in recent years, the Naadam Festival in Weichang County has been attracting more and more attention, which means "entertainment and games" to express the joy of a good harvest. The Naadam Conference is a traditional activity with distinctive national characteristics and rich regional features that Mongolian people love, and it is an annual traditional event on the grassland and a festival of joy for Mongolian people. Horse-racing traditional sports is not only one of the main contents of Naadam Assembly, but also attracts a large number of tourists to come to feel the strong folk customs. At present, the Mongolian traditional horse racing in Chengde City has become a bright landscape. In such a context, the study of the development status of horse racing in the autonomous region of the Weiqian minority has far-reaching significance and helps to better promote the inheritance and development of traditional horse racing sports. 2. Research Results and Analysis 2.1. The current situation of Mongolian horse racing in Chengde City Classification of Mongolian Horse Racing. According to Table 1, it can be seen that the Mongolian sports about horses in Chengde City are rich and diverse, covering a wide range of activities from traditional horse racing and archery on horseback to gripping sheep and girl chasing. These sports not only reflect the Mongolian people's profound horse culture, but also show their high skills on horseback. The diversity and uniqueness of these horse sports add a unique charm to the cultural tourism of Chengde City, attracting a large number of tourists to come to watch and experience. Table 1. Classification of Local Mongolian Horse Sports Classification of traditional sports Classification of traditional sports Traditional sports programs about horses Horse racing, horseback archery, goat-carrying, girl-chasing, picking up silver on the horse, shooting treasures on the horse, throwing horsewhips on the horse, throwing stones on the horse, riding over obstacles, tug-of-war on the horse, grabbing towels on the horse Note: Drawn by author Classification of local Mongolian horse racing sports events, according to Table 2, it can be seen that Chengde City horse racing events are divided into two categories: amateur and professional. Amateur races are mainly organized by families, enterprises and institutions, grassland tribes and horse farms, and most of the participants are young people, with rewards based on livestock, which are closer to people's lives and have strong folk characteristics. Professional events have higher requirements for the age and technical level of the participants, and the reward method is based on prize money, which is more competitive and ornamental. This categorization not only satisfies participants of different levels and needs, but also enriches the form and content of horse racing activities. 6 Table 2. Classification of local Mongolian horse racing events Classification Specifics Requirements Incentives Amateur Speed races: colts, bumpers, distance races, three- year-olds, walking horses Any age Livestock-based Professional Speed races, endurance races, trotting races (1km, 2km, 3km, 5km, 8km, 12km) Above 16 years old Bonus-based Note: Drawn by author According to Table 3, the organization of horse racing in Chengde City includes three forms: folk spontaneous organization, official organization, and folk and official cooperative organization. The forms of folk spontaneous organization are flexible and diversified, taking families, enterprises and institutions, grassland tribes and horse farms as units, with strong regional and cultural characteristics. The official organization reflects the government's attention and support for horse racing, and promotes the development of local tourism by holding large-scale events. The form of cooperation between folk and official organizations combines the advantages of the first two, which not only retains the folk characteristics, but also improves the scale and level of the event. Table 3. Forms of organization of local Mongolian horse racing Forms of organization Specifics Civilian spontaneous organization Family organization mainly refers to the wedding and festivals, aimed at pleasing the body and mind and expressing emotions. Enterprise and public institution organization form mainly refers to the unit within the unit and the unit and unit organization competition, aims to enhance the enterprise popularity, strengthen the internal unity and cooperation between units. Grassland tribal organization mainly refers to tribal and tribal communication organization, aims to strengthen communication and exchange, to strengthen the exchange. The organization of horse farms mainly refers to the organization of a single horse farm and the organization of multiple horse farms in the form of races, with the aim of increasing the visibility of horse farms. Official Organizations The official form of organization means that horse racing is organized by government departments. The government organization on the one hand promotes the development of horse racing in Chengde. Civilian-Official Cooperation Organizations Horse racing is organized in the form that the sport is jointly organized by private organizations and the government. This form of organization is mostly a cooperation between enterprises and the government, which is based on economic interests, is a form of mutual benefit for both parties, and is also a common form of organization for horse racing. Note: Drawn by author The organizers of local Mongolian horse racing competitions include government departments, industry associations, as well as enterprises and institutions at many levels, which shows that horse racing has a broad social base and influence in Chengde. The organization of horse racing not only enhances local popularity, but also promotes the development of local tourism, making a positive contribution to economic and social prosperity. 2.2. Current Situation of Horse Racing Crowd Participation in Chengde City The educational level of the local horse racing sports participants, according to Table 4, it can be seen that among the people who participate in Mongolian horse racing sports, the proportion of elementary school education is 17.6%, the proportion of middle school education is 28.0%, the proportion of high school education is 13.7%, and the proportion of participants with college education and above is the highest, which reaches 40.7%. This indicates that although horse racing, as a traditional Mongolian sport, attracts people of all educational levels to participate, relatively more participants with higher education accounted for more. This is related to the fact that highly educated people are more aware of traditional culture and its preservation, as well as the fact that they are more likely to learn about the value and cultural connotations of horse racing through education and information channels. Table 4. Educational attainment of the horse racing participant population (n=182) Education level Number of persons Percentage (%) Elementary School 32 17.6 Middle School 52 28.0 High School 25 13.7 College and above 73 40.7 Note: Drawn by author The gender of local people involved in horse racing, according to Table 5, the number of males involved in Mongolian horse racing is 159, which is 87.4%, while the number of females is 23, which is only 12.6%. This reflects that males are still the main participants in the local horse racing sport. This is related to the more prominent role of men 7 on horseback in traditional Mongolian culture and the relatively high physical strength and skill requirements of horse racing. However, with social progress and cultural intermingling, the proportion of women participating in horse racing is also expected to increase gradually. Table 5. Gender of participants in horse racing (n=182) Options Number of people Percentage (%) Male 159 87.4 Female 23 12.6 Note: Drawn by author The age of the population participating in local horse racing sports. as can be seen from Table 6, the population participating in Mongolian horse racing sports in Chengde City is dominated by young people. Among them, young people aged 16-25 years old accounted for the highest proportion of 37.9%, followed by young people aged under 15 years old with a proportion of 24.7%. This indicates that horse racing sports have high attraction and participation among young people. Participation, on the other hand, gradually decreases with age, with only 2.8% of participants over 46 years old. This is related to the fact that horse racing requires a higher level of physical strength and agility, as well as the fact that young people are more receptive to new things and challenges Table 6. Age profile of local horse racing participants (n=182) Age Number of persons Percentage (%) Under 15 years old 45 24.7 16-25 years old 69 37.9 26-35 years old 41 22.5 35-45 years old 22 12.1 46+ years old 5 2.8 Note: Drawn by author Occupation of local horse racing participants, according to the data in Table 7, the highest proportion of herders in the distribution of occupations involved in local Mongolian horse racing is 52.2%, which is in line with the traditional lifestyle and cultural background of the Mongols as a nomadic people. The next highest percentage is students at 24.7%, which is due to the promotion of traditional culture in schools and students' interest in traditional culture. Employees, border guards and participants from other professions account for a relatively small percentage, but their participation also enriches the demographic composition of the horse racing sport. Table 7. Occupation of people involved in local horse racing (n=182) Vocational Number of persons Percentage (%) Student 45 24.7 Pastoralist 95 52.2 Employee 23 12.6 Border Guard 15 8.2 Other 4 2.3 Note: Drawn by author According to the data in Table 8, the frequency of participation of the local horse racing population is dominated by "occasional (1-2 times per year)" and "frequent (1-2 times per quarter)", accounting for 46.7% and 41.2% respectively. 41.2%, accounting for nearly 90% of the total. The proportion of "frequent (1 time or more per month)" participants was relatively small, accounting for only 12.1%. This indicates that although horse racing has a certain degree of attraction and participation, most people do not participate very frequently. The reasons for this include the limitations of time schedule, geographical location, cost of participation and other factors. Table 8. Frequency of participation by the local horse racing population (n=182) Frequency Number of persons Percentage (%) Occasionally (1-2 times per year) 85 46.7 Frequently (1-2 times per quarter) 75 41.2 Frequent (1 or more times per month) 22 12.1 Hardly participate 0 0 Note: Drawn by author 2.3. Current Situation of Horse Racing Coaches in Chengde City The age profile of local horse racing coaches, as shown in Table 9, middle-aged coaches aged 31-44 are the main force, accounting for 65%, which indicates that they have rich experience and stable coaching ability. However, the proportion of young coaches aged 18-30 is only 10%, which shows that the reserve of young coaches is insufficient, and there is a potential shortage of talents for the development of horse racing in the future. 8 Table 9. Age profile of local horseracing coaches (n=20) Age Number of persons Percentage (%) 18-30 2 10 31-44 13 65 45-59 5 25 59+ 0 0 Note: Drawn by author The education level of local horse racing sport coaches, according to Table 10, it can be seen that in terms of education, the education level of coaches is generally low, with more than 65% of coaches with primary and junior high school education, and zero coaches with bachelor's degree or above. This reflects that the overall cultural quality and professional level of local Mongolian horse racing coaches need to be improved. The low education level will limit the coaches' innovation and application in training methods and race strategies, which will affect the athletes' training effect and race results. Table 10. Educational attainment of horse racing trainers (n=20) Educational attainment Number of people Percentage (%) Bachelor's degree or above 0 0 Junior college 2 10 High School 5 25 Junior High School 6 30 Elementary School 7 35 Note: Drawn by author The current situation of coaching of horse racing sport coaches, in terms of years of coaching experience (Table 11), the proportion of coaches with less than 5 years is the highest, amounting to 55%, while coaches with 15 and more years of coaching experience are zero. This indicates that the coaching experience of local horse racing coaches is generally short and lacks a long-term stable coaching environment. Although the vigor and innovation of young coaches are advantages, the lack of experience and stability of the coaching team will affect the training effect of the athletes and the overall performance of the sports team. Therefore, strengthening the training and experience accumulation of coaches and promoting the stable development of the coaching team is an important way to improve the level of horse racing. Table 11. Years of experience as a horse racing trainer (n=20) Years of working experience Number of persons Percentage (%) Less than 5 years 11 55 6-9 years 6 30 10-14 years 3 15 15 years and above 0 0 Note: Drawn by author Athletes' satisfaction with horse racing facilities, according to Table 12, from the athletes' point of view, the satisfaction with venue equipment shows a distribution trend of "more in the middle and less at both ends". Among them, the proportion of athletes who expressed "general" to the field equipment was the highest, reaching 49.5%, which indicated that most of the athletes were in the middle level of satisfaction to the field equipment, neither obvious dissatisfaction nor special satisfaction. However, there are also quite a number of athletes who are "dissatisfied" with the field equipment, accounting for 36.8%, which shows that there are deficiencies in some aspects of the field equipment, affecting the athletes' training and competition experience. Table 12. Athletes' Satisfaction with Horse Racing Venue Facilities (n=182) Satisfaction Number of persons Percentage (%) Satisfactory 25 13.7 Average 90 49.5 Dissatisfied 67 36.8 Note: Drawn by author According to Table 3.19, coaches' satisfaction with the facilities of horse racing venues is similar to that of athletes from the coaches' point of view. Similarly, the proportion of "average" option is the highest, 40%, which indicates that most of the coaches are also moderately satisfied with the field equipment. The percentages of "satisfied" and "dissatisfied" are both 40%, which reflects that there is a big difference in the coaches' evaluation of field equipment. Some coaches think that the field equipment can meet their needs, while others think that there are obvious problems. 9 Table 13. Satisfaction of coaches with horse racing venue facilities (n=20) Satisfaction Number of persons Percentage (%) Satisfactory 4 20 Average 8 40 Dissatisfied 8 40 Note: Drawn by author 3. Conclusions and recommendations 3.1. Conclusion After an in-depth analysis of the current situation of the development of Mongolian horse racing in Chengde City, it is found that there is room for improvement in many aspects of horse racing. In particular, there are constraints to its development in the construction of the coaching team and venue facilities. Firstly, the professionalism and number of coaches need to be upgraded urgently to meet the increasing demand for training and competition. Secondly, the insufficiency of venues and facilities also limits the training effect and competition experience of athletes, which needs to be improved by increasing investment. To summarize, Mongolian Horse Racing in Chengde City needs to be strengthened and improved in terms of coaching staff and venue facilities in order to promote its healthy and rapid development. 3.2. Suggestions Strengthen the construction of the coaching team. Attract more coaches with professional background and coaching experience by increasing recruitment efforts and broadening recruitment channels. At the same time, strengthen the training and re-education of coaches to improve their professionalism and coaching level. Improve the conditions of venue facilities. The government and all sectors of society should increase investment in the construction of venues and facilities, and improve the quality and safety of the facilities. Reasonably plan the layout to ensure the comfort and convenience of the facilities. At the same time, strengthen the maintenance and upkeep of the facilities to ensure their long-term use. References [1] Peng Liqun, Xu Le et al. 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